Tokyo: My Best Actor Gear List

Chapter 57 The Phone Call from New York

The white shirt that had made such a great contribution was casually tossed into the laundry basket.

Kitahara Shin walked into the bathroom shirtless, turned on the tap, and splashed cold water on his face.

Cool water droplets dripped down his chin, and the face in the mirror finally shed the "dullness" and "lukewarmness" he had forcibly maintained at Fuji Television, revealing his own sharpness once again.

Playing an honest person is really tiring.

Especially having to play an honest person in front of a shrewd producer and a picky screenwriter, the feeling of constantly restraining one's sharpness is like dancing in shoes that are a size too small.

He dried his face, took a can of beer from the refrigerator, and just as he pulled the tab, the phone in the living room suddenly rang.

It's 11 PM Tokyo time now.

Aside from his overly energetic manager, Daejeon, few people would bother him at this time.

Kitahara Shin walked over and picked up the receiver.

"Feed".

"Should I start calling you 'Wanji' now?"

A woman's voice, clearly laughing, came through the receiver, accompanied by the blaring of police sirens and unfamiliar English conversation in the background. "I heard you're going to turn over a new leaf and start dating a beautiful actress on Fuji TV?"

Kitahara Shin paused for a moment, then leaned back against the cabinet and took a sip of beer.

"Your information network is even better than that of Kyodo News reporters. What, are New York newspapers publishing this kind of gossip too?"

"Of course."

Akina Nakamori's voice sounded light and cheerful, like a bird that had just flown out of its cage. "It's all over my international student circle. They're saying that Kitahara Shin, the guy who hit people with a hammer in the movie, is going to play Nagao Kanji in 'Tokyo Love Story.' Everyone's joking that you might suddenly pull out a gun and kill Rika while you're filming."

"You guys are so prejudiced against me. But this is a very creative script, and I will recommend it to Sakamoto-sensei."

Kitahara Shin smiled.

You can joke around now.

It seems the air on the other side of the ocean is indeed more nourishing.

"I'm in Central Park right now."

A gust of wind came from Akina's side. "I'm holding the original manga of the TV drama you're going to film. I just saw a fountain that looks a lot like the one where Kanji and Rika said goodbye. Although the pigeons here are much fatter than those in Tokyo, it feels... very similar."

"You read comics?"

"I'm bored. I just watch this when I'm tired of practicing singing."

Akina paused for a moment, "Kanji in the manga is too indecisive, it's infuriating to watch. If you played him... it should be different, right?"

"It will be different."

Looking out at the Tokyo nightscape, Kitahara Shin said, "I will make him a man worthy of being loved."

"That's quite a boast."

Akina gave a light hum. "By the way, did you receive the things I sent you?"

"thing?"

Kitahara Shin glanced at the entrance hall.

There was indeed an international package that had just arrived that afternoon, but he was busy with his audition and hadn't had time to open it yet.

"I just saw it, what is it?"

"You'll see when you listen to it, that's my homework, hmph."

Kitahara Shin, holding a microphone, walked over and opened the package.

Inside was a cassette tape without any labels.

He put the cassette tape into the stereo and pressed play.

After the hissing of electricity, music began to flow.

It's not a meticulously arranged studio recording; it sounds like a live recording from a jazz bar. There's only simple piano accompaniment.

Immediately afterwards, Akina's voice rang out.

That's a cover of "Fly Me To The Moon".

It was completely different from her poignant, broken, and seemingly fragile singing style when she was in Japan.

There's a languid, free, and even slightly husky sexiness in this singing voice.

She no longer sings to please anyone, nor does she sing to accuse anyone.

She was simply enjoying the music.

Like an ordinary girl on the streets of New York, wearing a trench coat, holding a coffee, and completely oblivious to the stares of passersby.

Kitahara Shin listened quietly.

The song coming from the speakers was full of vitality; it was like a flower blooming from the ruins, with thick roots and bright petals.

"How is it?"

As the song ended, Akina asked somewhat nervously from the other end of the phone.

"It sounds great."

Shin Kitahara said frankly, "It's better than all your previous songs."

"real?"

"Really, your songs used to be full of tears, but this song... has backbone. I can hear the change in you."

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, followed by a sniffling sound and then a hearty laugh.

"You still like to use strange descriptions as always, but... I like them."

Kitahara Shin looked at the indicator light flashing on the speaker.

He could sense that the girl who had been trapped in front of the golden screen had truly come back to life.

And they live stronger than before.

"Akina."

"Um?"

"Don't stay there too long."

Shin Kitahara held the receiver, his tone earnest, "The Japanese entertainment industry is undergoing a transformation. The old idol myth is about to crumble, and audiences are starting to tire of those pretentious packaging. They need real, flesh-and-blood voices."

He thought of ZARD, who was about to debut, the upcoming filming of "Tokyo Love Story," and the harsh yet real 90s that were about to begin.

"I'll treat you to dinner when you come back."

"Want to treat me to dinner?"

Akina repeated it on the other end of the phone.

The New York sun was shining on her face as she watched the crowds running in Central Park and gripped her phone tightly.

"OK."

Her voice carried an unprecedented confidence and ambition, the cry of a phoenix after its rebirth.

"Then it's a deal, Kitahara-kun."

"Hmph, you have no idea what I've encountered here. When you see me, I'll show you a completely new Nakamori Akina."

"Okay, then I'll wait and see."

The phone hangs up.

The room returned to silence.

The tape in the stereo was still spinning, making a slight hissing sound.

"Click."

Kitahara Shin pressed the stop button, ejected the tape, and carefully placed it back into the case.

He walked to his desk and spread out the script for "Tokyo Love Story".

On the first page of the script was the name of the character he was about to bring to life—Kanji Nagao.

He took a deep breath, letting his shoulders slump naturally. The sharpness in his eyes gradually faded until the face reflected in the windowpane looked somewhat wooden and bewildered.

"Nice to meet you, Rika."

He recited a line softly into the air, his voice gentle and slightly awkward with a rural accent.

After reading it, he paused for a moment, seemingly satisfied with the tone.

He closed his pen and gently pushed the script to the corner of the table.

Then he reached out and turned off the table lamp.

The room was plunged into darkness, with only the red glow of the Tokyo Tower outside the window, like a faint heart beating quietly.